Nicholas J. Aebischer
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View article: Visualisation of sets using boat diagrams: A new form of rotationally symmetrical three-way Venn diagram
Visualisation of sets using boat diagrams: A new form of rotationally symmetrical three-way Venn diagram Open
Venn diagrams are a staple visualisation tool for presentation of data, concepts and sets. We present a novel three-way Venn diagram based on three closed polygonal curves resembling boat shapes, called “boat diagrams,” with two variants. …
View article: Helminth gut parasites of black grouse <i>Lyrurus tetrix</i> in northern England, their impact on productivity and possible sources of infection
Helminth gut parasites of black grouse <i>Lyrurus tetrix</i> in northern England, their impact on productivity and possible sources of infection Open
Black grouse Lyrurus tetrix declines continue throughout much of temperate Europe, following habitat loss and population isolation, associated with reduced productivity. In northern England, only 1437 lekking males remained in 2014, geneti…
View article: Temperature drives inter‐annual variation in badger <i>Meles meles</i> predation of lapwing <i>Vanellus vanellus</i> on Scottish hill‐edge farmland
Temperature drives inter‐annual variation in badger <i>Meles meles</i> predation of lapwing <i>Vanellus vanellus</i> on Scottish hill‐edge farmland Open
Wading birds have declined globally, with particularly pronounced declines in western Europe. Multiple species are now on the IUCN Red List, with northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus near‐threatened and declining. Historically, habitat degra…
View article: Population and distribution change of Eurasian Woodcocks <i>Scolopax rusticola</i> breeding in the UK: results of the 2023 Breeding Woodcock Survey
Population and distribution change of Eurasian Woodcocks <i>Scolopax rusticola</i> breeding in the UK: results of the 2023 Breeding Woodcock Survey Open
Capsule The UK breeding population estimate comprised 50,750 male Eurasian Woodcocks (95% CI: 42,935–59,251) in Britain and 937 males (95% CI: 274–1714) in Northern Ireland. The British population has continued to decline since 2013.
View article: Choice of model and re‐nesting probability function influences behaviour of avian seasonal productivity models and their demographic predictions
Choice of model and re‐nesting probability function influences behaviour of avian seasonal productivity models and their demographic predictions Open
Measuring seasonal productivity is difficult in multi‐brooded species without labour‐intensive ringing studies. Individual‐based (IB) models have been used to estimate seasonal productivity with no direct knowledge of number of nesting att…
View article: Estimating capercaillie <i>Tetrao urogallus</i> population size in Scotland from annual leks and counts of broods over the period 2010–2020
Estimating capercaillie <i>Tetrao urogallus</i> population size in Scotland from annual leks and counts of broods over the period 2010–2020 Open
The population size of capercaille Tetrao urogallus in Scotland was estimated from annual counts of males at 151 known spring lek sites and 45 counts of males, females and their broods in August during the period 2010–2020, combined with p…
View article: The current status of Chukar (<i>Alectoris chukar</i> J. E. Gray, 1830) in Armenia
The current status of Chukar (<i>Alectoris chukar</i> J. E. Gray, 1830) in Armenia Open
The Chukar Alectoris chukar is one of the most popular game birds of Armenia, but there is no governmental monitoring programme for that exploited species. We carried out national surveys in 2003–2019 and estimate the current occupied rang…
View article: Retrospective comparisons of competing demographic models give clarity from “messy” management on a Scottish grouse moor
Retrospective comparisons of competing demographic models give clarity from “messy” management on a Scottish grouse moor Open
Retrospective comparison of predictive models that describe competing hypotheses regarding system function can shed light on regulatory mechanisms within the framework of adaptive resource management. We applied this approach to a 28‐year …
View article: Research Into Practice: Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix) Restoration in Southern England
Research Into Practice: Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix) Restoration in Southern England Open
The gray partridge Perdix perdix was once a common breeding bird in Britain and a traditional quarry species. Its numbers have declined by over 90% over the last 50 years, and there have been similar declines across Europe. Since 1968 the …
View article: Making Messy Data Work for Conservation
Making Messy Data Work for Conservation Open
View article: The Potential of Arable Weeds to Reverse Invertebrate Declines and Associated Ecosystem Services in Cereal Crops
The Potential of Arable Weeds to Reverse Invertebrate Declines and Associated Ecosystem Services in Cereal Crops Open
There is global concern that invertebrate populations are declining rapidly, particularly in agricultural habitats. Declines have been attributed to the intensification of farming systems, with many studies focussing on a lack of semi-natu…
View article: Measures of predator diet alone may underestimate the collective impact on prey: Common buzzard Buteo buteo consumption of economically important red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica
Measures of predator diet alone may underestimate the collective impact on prey: Common buzzard Buteo buteo consumption of economically important red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica Open
Human-wildlife conflicts often centre on economic loss caused by wildlife. Yet despite being a major issue for land-managers, estimating total prey losses to predation can be difficult. Estimating impacts of protected wildlife on economica…
View article: Resource-Area-Dependence Analysis: Inferring animal resource needs from home-range and mapping data
Resource-Area-Dependence Analysis: Inferring animal resource needs from home-range and mapping data Open
An animal's home-range can be expected to encompass the resources it requires for surviving or reproducing. Thus, animals inhabiting a heterogeneous landscape, where resource patches vary in size, shape and distribution, will naturally hav…
View article: Habitat correlates of Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola abundance in a declining resident population
Habitat correlates of Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola abundance in a declining resident population Open
In Europe, woodland bird populations have been declining since at least the 1970s, and in Britain, around one third of woodland bird species have undergone declines over this period. Habitat change has been highlighted as a possible cause,…
View article: Survival of chicks and adults explains variation in population growth in a recovering red grouse <i>Lagopus lagopus scotica</i> population
Survival of chicks and adults explains variation in population growth in a recovering red grouse <i>Lagopus lagopus scotica</i> population Open
Understanding demographic mechanisms is key to managing animal populations, both in conservation and game management. We examine which life‐stages contributed most to population growth in a recovering red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica pop…
View article: Population responses of Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica to expansion of heather Calluna vulgaris cover on a Scottish grouse moor
Population responses of Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica to expansion of heather Calluna vulgaris cover on a Scottish grouse moor Open
Loss of heather Calluna vulgaris-dominated moorland in Britain has been associated with long-term declines in Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica, a gamebird of economic importance. We tested whether restoring heather habitat on a grouse mo…
View article: Pheasant release in Great Britain: long-term and large-scale changes in the survival of a managed bird
Pheasant release in Great Britain: long-term and large-scale changes in the survival of a managed bird Open
The release of artificially reared pheasants is a widespread practice in Great Britain, used to increase the number of birds available for hunting. We examined the spatial and temporal patterns of release and shooting between 1960 and 2014…
View article: George Richard (Dick) Potts (1939–2017)
George Richard (Dick) Potts (1939–2017) Open
The Grey Partridge Perdix perdix occupied a special place in Dick Potts’ heart. His intuitive feel for the species was uncanny, and his boundless enthusiasm for it infectious. On the annual ritual of the partridge counts in Sussex, those c…
View article: An alternative view of moorland management for Red Grouse <i>Lagopus lagopus scotica</i>
An alternative view of moorland management for Red Grouse <i>Lagopus lagopus scotica</i> Open
View article: The GWCT Grey Partridge Recovery Programme: a Species Action Plan in Action
The GWCT Grey Partridge Recovery Programme: a Species Action Plan in Action Open
In 1994, the UK government launched its Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). Its list of BAP species included the grey partridge Perdix perdix, whose UK numbers had declined by 91% since 1962. The government set numerical targets in its grey pa…
View article: A Review of Gray Partridge Restocking in the UK and its Implications for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan
A Review of Gray Partridge Restocking in the UK and its Implications for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan Open
The gray partridge Perdix perdix has been the subject of many re-introduction projects throughout the world. In earlier attempts many releases simply aimed to increase the number of individuals for harvesting. This is very different from a…
View article: Using harvesting data to examine temporal and regional variation in red grouse abundance in the British uplands
Using harvesting data to examine temporal and regional variation in red grouse abundance in the British uplands Open
Large areas of the British uplands consist of heather moorland, a habitat of global conservation importance that supports communities of threatened animal and plant species. Red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica are dependent on heather and b…
View article: Does best‐practice crow <i>Corvus corone</i> and magpie <i>Pica pica</i> control on UK farmland improve nest success in hedgerow‐nesting songbirds? A field experiment
Does best‐practice crow <i>Corvus corone</i> and magpie <i>Pica pica</i> control on UK farmland improve nest success in hedgerow‐nesting songbirds? A field experiment Open
The role of predation by corvids on the breeding output of songbirds is unclear. Using a randomised‐pair design, we measured how nest success of hedgerow‐nesting passerines responded to the experimental removal of carrion crows and magpies…
View article: Twenty years of local farmland bird conservation: the effects of management on avian abundance at two UK demonstration sites
Twenty years of local farmland bird conservation: the effects of management on avian abundance at two UK demonstration sites Open
Capsule At two demonstration farms, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust's Loddington Farm in Leicestershire and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's Hope Farm in Cambridgeshire, targeted management led to much faster increases…
View article: Current status and recent trend of the Eurasian Woodcock<i>Scolopax rusticola</i>as a breeding bird in Britain
Current status and recent trend of the Eurasian Woodcock<i>Scolopax rusticola</i>as a breeding bird in Britain Open
Capsule The breeding Woodcock population in Britain in 2013 was estimated at 55 241 males (95% CL: 41 806–69 004), suggesting a large-scale decline that is supported by 2 additional sources of data.Aims To provide an updated estimate of th…